Hearts Flame
by TeamFreeBagels
Summary: Kazumi Mikura has always been second best to her childhood friend Ikki, but that all changes when she learns how to fly from a certain Flame King. KazuXSpitfire (Fem!Kazu)
1. THe Flame Of My Heart (Part 1 of 3)

Hello there! This is a Female Kazu X Spitfire love story in case you ignored the description. I apologize beforehand for any grammatical/spelling/punctuation mistakes and feels killing.

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><p><em>Kazumi spent half her childhood being bullied by Ikki and the other half being in his shadow. And to be honest, she didn't know which she preferred. She loved Ikki; he was her best friend, after all. But she didn't like being second best to everyone because of him. The only time she could ever win was in a foot race, but what good did that do her? No one cared if you could run faster, it only mattered if you were on top, and on top was him, not her.<em>

She remembered when the first time she put on AT's she nearly killed herself multiple time just trying to go forward. And she remembered how when she saw Ikki ride for the first time he beat one of the best Storm Riders in the area. How she felt when she was doing a little better, like she could almost fly. How she was forced to watch from the ground as her friend soared above the clouds. When she finally gained a tiny bit of confidence in herself, only to have it shattered by the one closest to her. When had she become so pathetic?

When she tried to prove herself by taking on the Yaooo!, she didn't know it would end with Ikki in the spotlight once again. She knew why, of course, and held nothing against him. In fact, she was proud. But that didn't mean it didn't bug her that she was completely useless.

_But then __**he**__ appeared._

Kazumi was breathless as that man came down from nowhere, engulfed in flames. He introduced himself as Spitfire, King of the Flame Road. And of course, he came for Ikki. But even so, she was memorized. Never before had she seen someone so intense, so

_**passionate**__ that Kazumi felt like if she stood too close, she'd get burned._

Time after time again he kept appearing at their matches, and she was sure it was to watch her friend because, let's face it, why come to watch what was second best?

There was nothing special about her, and she wanted to change that. She swore she'd find her own road, a road different from Ikki. And she did. It wasn't until Spitfire spoke to

_**her**__, and not Ikki, that she knew it was the fastest and second most 'free' road: the Flame Road -no, Spitfire's road. __**Her**__ road._

Nothing could have made her happier. She found a different path from Ikki, and she learned that the reason Spitfire kept coming to watch them was not because of him, but because of her. He wanted to watch

_**her**__. She didn't know why, but she didn't care, because for the first time in a very long time, to someone she was not 'sec__ond best,' she came **first**._

"Kazu, come over here." Spitfire ordered with his thick cockney accent.

Standing up off the ground from taking a rest during training, Kazumi obediently went to her mentor's side. "What is it?"

Without looking at her, Spitfire said, "Tell me, what do you see?"

Kazumi turned to cast her eyes on what the Flame King was staring so intently. She raised an eyebrow at the view of the city below. Not really understanding what he wanted she said, "Um, well, I see the lots of buildings. Tall and short. The sun's setting behind them.. Oh! And I see someone had a wreck on the bridge. That's unfortunate..."

Spitfire sighed almost disappointingly. Kazumi suddenly felt really stupid. What had she missed? "That wasn't it, was it?" It wasn't really a question, she knew she got it completely wrong. Spitfire didn't give that particular sign of 'seriously?' unless the level of incorrectness was worthy of it.

"Well," he began, "I can't really say it was wrong, just that you missed the point by a long shot."

"Then...?" Kazumi questioned.

"You see, Kazu, anyone can look at it and say what it is. Buildings, sunset, a wreck, for example," she rubbed the back of her head and gave a sheepish laugh, "but what they fail to do is not to look, but to _see_."

"See?"

"Yes. For example: I see endless possibilities. Countless roads and chances to get from one place to another. Unlike you, I see with a Storm Rider's eyes. You still doubt yourself, so you don't let your eyes truly 'see.' Your feelings of inferiority are chaining you to the ground, preventing you from flying. I want to break those chains. I want to help you see with the eyes of a Storm Rider. To _fly_."

Kazumi gazed up at the more mature man, his orangey-red hair being ruffled in the wind. What this man has already done for her is more than she could ever repay, and he still wants to do that much? For someone like her? She dropped her head, face hidden by her long, golden hair. What had she ever done to deserve such kindness? Spitfire was clearly not the type to do something like put up with a bratty kid for endless hours out of pity... so why?

Confusing and negative thoughts kept swirling in her mind until completely vanishing when a large, warm hand is placed atop her head. Looking up, surprised azure eyes met blazing red ones that held such gentleness and understanding. "Don't worry about thing that hold you down, Kazumi," Spitfire began, his voice calming the storm inside her body. "Just aim for the sky without worry, because no matter what, I swear I'll be right here for you."

Kazumi felt as if she was about to cry but held it back. After all, there was no need to cry, he just vowed to help her with it all no matter what. And that was more than enough. Reaching up and pulling her beloved beanie lower, she whispered with a voice full of trust and happiness, "Yeah."

_True to his word, Spitfire showed Kazumi the sky. He took her hand and as she followed him, she could truly see the Flame Road. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed. The time she spent with Spitfire became precious to her beyond measure. She never wanted it to end. The chains keeping her to the ground were almost completely broken, but then **that day** came, and her whole world came crashing down..._

"Spitfire, where are we going?" Kazumi called out curiously.

The tall man turned to look at his disciple as they made their way from building tops to the ground and up to the sky again. "Didn't I tell you? We're going to my house." He said casually, as if it was obvious.

"Eh? Why there?" It was not what she was expecting. She assumed that they were going to a new place to train.

"Because we need to talk." His voice held a seriousness that she had not heard before.

When they got to his apartment (it was actually bigger than her house, seeing as it was one for rich people and had two stories and was very modern), he sat her down on his white couch and went to make them some tea. How very British of him, she thought.

As she took in her surroundings, she was amazed. She never guessed he would live in a place like this, seeing as he worked as hair stylist. He must be better at his job than she thought due to the fact everything was top class. A big flat-screen TV, top floor and perfect view of the city, a beautiful white grand piano. Kazumi was intrigued at that last one, being surprised yet again. She had no clue he could play piano, or maybe he was one of those people who had one just for the hell of it, she didn't know. Still, she figured a person wouldn't have such a good one unless they could at least play more than chopsticks, which was something she couldn't even do.

Spitfire came back, handing her a mug filled with hot tea. As she took a sip, she noticed that he didn't have any for himself, but before she could ask why, he said, "Kazumi," he immediately had her full attention. Spitfire hardly ever used her real name, (as did everyone) usually only when he was angry with her or something, "what I'm going to say will be confusing and slightly unbelievable, but please listen to the end."

She nodded her head. "Okay?"

Whatever Kazumi had expected to hear, this wasn't it. The Flame King proceeded to tell her about the origins of Air Treks and the people who made them. What the Tower of Trophaeum really was. About the first and second generation of Gravity Children. The original and new Sleeping forest. Sora and Kilik. The truth behind the Regalia and the roads they represented. Tool Toul To's - the Tuner's - purpose and standing. Genesis. He told her who he was. _What_ he was. Revealing his past with the utmost care and detail.

And all she could do was stare at him with eyes wide and mouth agape.

The guy wasn't lying when he told her it'd be hard to believe. Even so, she knew he wasn't lying. Spitfire never lied, and he never would. So he was a genetically modified child created by the makers of AT's and raised under zero-gravity conditions with AT's from birth in Trophaeum for the sole purpose of being able to use their product to their full potential - a Gravity Child? She could roll with that. That wasn't what had her baffled.

She waited until Spitfire was done before she spoke, "I don't understand."

The man ran a hand through his gorgeous hair. "I know it's hard to believe, but-"

"That's not it."

He looked at her, confused. "What?"

"That's not what I don't get. I believe everything you told me, but..."

"Then... what is it?" he seemed to see nothing beyond what he told her as something she couldn't fathom.

"I don't understand why you're telling me all this." She stared at the empty mug in her hands. "While it's true that you've been kind enough to take me under your wing and teach me about the Flame Road, I don't see any reason to trust me with information as important as this. I may be a member of Kogarasumaru, but I'm not Ikki. I'm not the next Sky King; the one Genesis is so set on. In fact, I'm pretty sure that as far as Simca is concerned, I don't even exist."

Spitfire knelt to the floor in front of her, taking away the mug and set it aside, making her look at him. His eyes were serious, as was his voice when he spoke, "The reason I told you has nothing to do with Simca or Ikki. It's because you need to know so you're prepared."

Her face showed the pure confusion she felt inside. "Prepared for what?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could someone crashed through the ceiling.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

Kazumi had no clue as to what was happening. All she had managed to gather was that Sora had a twin bother - Nike - and they were both twisted bastards. Sano - the 'Aeon Clock' - showed up and was fighting with Spitfire for their lives against them. Oh, and apparently the reason Spitfire had told her all that was because he wanted to make her the next Flame King - or Flame_ Queen_, if you will.

However, before she could make sense of anything, Mimasaka appeared and took an attack to protect Sano, killing her. And somewhere after that she found herself being pick up by strong arms and carried off, away from the battlefield.

She couldn't think. She could barely even breathe as Spitfire placed her on the hard ground in an ally. She was somewhat aware of the man in front of her taking off his Flame Regalia and setting them beside her, only to then proceed to take off her AT's and somehow manage to squeeze his much larger feet into them, complaining all the while.

She didn't regain her senses until she heard him say: "I need to return quickly, or else..."

Kazumi reached out a bruised and bloody hand, grabbing onto his coat and choking out, "Spit... You...!"

Spitfire took her hand, prying it off gently as he said with equal gentleness, "I am only but a spark,"

_What are you doing?_

"However, someday, even someone like me..."

_I don't understand..._

"Will be able to ignite another..."

_You already have..._

"That's all that I wanted to say."

_Don't leave me!_

The Flame King released her hand reluctantly, not wanting him to go, either. How he wished he could just stay right where he was and ignore everything else. But life's a bitch, he thought bitterly as he gave the battered girl on the ground one last smile before turning and jumping up into the sky, heading back towards the battle that awaited him. Kazu was safe, and that's all that mattered. He could go greet his fate with his mind at ease with knowing that one simple thing.

**_SPITFIRE!_**

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><p><strong>"Hey... I'm glad... I knew you'd find this file... Hello, Kazu... Ikki..."<strong>

Every team they've ever com across from Sabeltiger to Genesis stood/sat in Kogarasumaru's hideout, watching the file on the 'read' Spitfire left for them in his home server. It was a recording of him, before he died.

**"Unfortunately... by the time you see this... it'll already be too late for me..."**

Kazumi stood closest to the projector that played the file on the wall. She was the one that found it, after all.

**"I will... no longer be apart of this world..."**

Murmurs of shock and wonder were heard from where she stood wanting to punch them all in the face for talking. She wanted to hear without hindrance, and they were too loud. It finally took Agito's threats to shut them up.

**"I'm sure that you all... know everything by now..."**

His face was right there. Right in front of her, albeit on a much larger scale. If she took only a few steps and reached out her hands, she could touch it, but she'd only feel the wall. And though his voice was solemn, he was speaking with that mesmerizing accent of his. So smooth and comforting. It was as if a blanket was being wrapped around her. (A/N: I'm in shock. Look, I've got a blanket! #couldntresist)

**"Have your wings broken... Ikki?"**

Ikki? Why him? Why was it always him?

The recorded Ex-Flame King raised and hand and rubbed his neck, smiling that stupid grin as he continued with awkward humor, **"Ah! But you know, if I'm not dead, then don't watch the rest of this! It's embarrassing!"** Spitfire them seemed to notice something off camera and then practically screamed like a girl saying, **"WAH! A roach. It's a cockroach! Ah, insecticide! Did I get any on the camera?!"**

Kazumi pulled off her beanie and gripped it tight. _He's not tense at all..._

Spitfire sat himself down again and continued once the roach was gone. **"Okay. Now that it's all come down to this, where should I begin?"**

_How about the part where you forgot to mention you planned on dying?_

**"Ikki. Kazu. Do you... remember the day I first met you?"**

_It's kind of hard to forget something like that. After all, you did have everyone worried you were gonna burn the school down... idiot._

**"But, you know... Ikki, the truth is... I knew about you long before that..."**

Something inside of Kazumi began to crack.

**"..."The New Wind King Training Project" One day, Simca suddenly brought it up. That's right. When I first heard it I was astonished."**

More.

**"I had not... intended... for any of this."**

Deeper.

**"Simca and I... didn't want to fight with Kilik."**

Louder.

**"If you had become Genesis' top rider and things went well, it would have been possible to avoid war with them. That was because we were depending on your ties of friendship. Specifically with Sleeping Forest's leader, Crazy Apple. But..."**

No matter how much she swallowed, the lump in her throat would not go away.

**"At the Behemoth match... while shouldering everything, you... had said... "Shouldering everything I will fly!" At that time Simca and I felt something ache in our hearts... Something we had forgotten... The dispute with Sleeping Forest... Genesis... The Sky Regalia... None of it mattered."**

_If it didn't matter, then why?_

**"Your great wings had awoken the wind inside of us... and the need to fly."**

_God, you're so cheesy..._

**"Can you... No, can both of you remember... Before this pointless battle... Surely... certainly...**"

_Yes... Because it was you who showed it to me in the first place._

**"Ikki. I'll ask you one more time: Are your wings broken? Hm?Are they really?"**

_I'm fine, thanks for asking. Not._

Ikki then went on to get really hyper and infected everyone else. They decided that from now on he'd be the Storm King of the Hurricane Road. She was both happy and proud of him, but it still hurt. While they were going on about something about 'on the battlefield,' Kazumi heard Spitfire speak again. He was quieter, as if he didn't want everyone to hear. And as she turned to look at him, her heart nearly jumped out of her mouth when it seemed like he wasn't just looking at a camera, but at _her_.

**"Now that that's over with... How are you? Worried? I think I started a good fire, right?"**

Kazumi bit her lip as the corners of her mouth stretched into a sad, yet genuine smile and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "Dumbass..."

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><p>I do believe I have grown a beard...<p>

Next »


	2. The Flame Of My Heart (Part 2 of 3)

Part two! At last...

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><p>"Ready! Let's go for a seventh lap!" It's summer, and Team Kogarasumaru have been practicing only their wall riding for over an hour.<p>

Kazumi looked to her left as she climbed upward and noticed one of her teammates was falling behind. "Buccha, I thought you were supposed to be the wall rider!" She teased.

The rather large teen blushed. "Sh-shut up! Ye-yesterday I ate yakisoba and they are making my stomach hurt! Urk..."

Once they were all at the top and wishing for a quick death, they heard their newly acquired Spartan-like coach: the two months deceased Spitfire yelled from Kazumi's laptop on the ground.** "Kogarasumaru! There's no time to relax! The ability to climb and overtake a tall building is one of the most important foundations."** They weren't listening. Ikki had found ice-cream and they were savoring it like it was life itself. **"Wait... could it be that you're eating ice-cream now?" **They froze. **"Cooling your body down during training could cause serious damage. Stop it!" **Emily was ordered to take it away. **"After up it's down. We still have another thirty rounds to go. Come on, focus!"**

Once they were all on the ground, Agito, who was the most agitated by the heat, rounded on the talking computer. "Damn it... Nag, nag, nag, nag! Are you really dead?! DID YOU REALLY NEED TO TAKE OUR ICE-CREAM AWAY? I'LL KILL YOU! FUCK!"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

As she slowly went home, Kazumi held her laptop out in front of her so she could talk to the former Flame King. **"You could be grateful... I did leave you guys a training menu."** His face and voice had a grumpy pout to them.

"Yeah, one that makes us puke. Did you see Buccha?"

**"I can't 'see' anything, Kazu."**

She scoffed. "Uh-huh. Yeah, then explain how you knew we were eating ice-cream."

**"Your laptop takes in the data with the webcam and mic and then responds to it by using my voice."**

She narrowed her eyes. "Lies. Last week you chewed me out for not drying my hair properly after a shower and eating a heavy meal before bed. Not to mention you correct me on my homework and cooking bef0re I ever even show them to you. Admit it, you're still alive." The undertone of hope she had in those words was evident.

Spitfire was silent for a moment as if fighting back something and then sighed. **"If I was alive I'd be coaching you in person, not like this."**

For a moment Kazumi stopped walking and looked at him before sighing herself and started once again. "I know, I know..."

She then proceeded to tell him all about her day. How Ikki was annoying as usual (Spitfire chuckled as she complained) and that Onigiri got carried away with his 'Smell Road' and she was almost violated (he frowned at this).

She talked until she got home. It was always like this now. At first, Kazumi was nervous whenever she spoke to this version of Spitfire, but after some time she managed to open up in a way she never had before. Not even with Ikki. Hell, she basically made the poor Computer-Spitfire her diary. All her troubles. All her fears. All her happenings. Everything would be confided in him. And Kazumi knew that if it were the real Spitfire, or even a real human being for that matter, there was no way she would able to pour her heart out like this. After all, what person would sit for hours on end and listen to every detail end emotion she went through everyday? No one, that's who. Something she had mentioned to him on several occasions. And for some reason or another, he seemed to laugh almost nervously, but she figured it was just her imagination.

After plugging up her laptop so the battery wouldn't die, she went about her usual routine of making dinner, Computer-Spitfire giving her close instruction. And then sat down and worked on her homework for the evening, only to be virtually hit over the head or griped at every time she got distracted or fell asleep. After nearly three hours of it, she K.O.'d for the night and Spitfire couldn't wake her up to turn the computer off and go to bed properly.

However, when she woke up the next morning, Kazumi found herself in her bed, laptop saved and closed, school-work organized and ready to be put in her bag to take, and her AT's put neatly by the foot of her bed so she wouldn't kill herself getting up. Despite being really confused, she just assumed her older sister was the cause, seeing as how it would have to take one very polite breaking-and-entering to do such a feat.

She mentioned this to Spitfire once school both and training was over, only to have him laugh harder than usual for some reason. Computers were weird, she decided.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

It has been six months since Spitfire's death. And even though it was still painful, the A. I. (Artificial Intelligence) of his self had help her come to terms with the fact and ease the pain.

However, having the Takeuchi brothers challenge Kogarasumaru to an A-Class AT battle - Disc - was bringing up bad memories. They were to meet them at the former Behemoth arena at midnight, and be willing to bet much more than their emblem. They agreed to the terms. Even though it'd be two against five, they knew they'd have to give it their all if they were to see the light of tomorrow.

Kazumi raced home afterwards and flung her laptop open. She clicked on the file that held Spitfire's A.I. so she could tell him. But for some reason the screen came up black and no sound came out, not even his usual 'hello'. She tried opening it it a few more time only to get the same results. Panic began to rise in her stomach. Was there a glitch? Had she damaged the Read somehow? This had never happened before.

Leaning towards the mic, she called for him a few times but nothing happened. She was just about to rush to a computer store to see if they could fix it when a Spitfire that appeared sort of... damp... other than his clothes on the screen. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and said a silent prayer of 'thank you.'

**"Is something the matter, Kazu?" **He asked immediately.

She took another breath. "No... No, I'm fine. I was just scared when you didn't pop up right away when I clicked on the file."

Spitfire seemed to relax a bit after she explained. **"I see. Well, that's good, then. Anyway, I take it you want to talk like usual?"**

"Well... kind of," she said nervously. Spitfire raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to continue, so she did, "You see... today after school, we ran into the Takeuchi brothers."

Whatever signs of relief the former Flame King had was wiped out in an instant. **"What happened? Did they attack you? Are you hurt? Where are they?!"**

Kazumi raised her hands as if she were being arrested. "Relax! It's okay! We're fine. They just wanted to talk."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. **"About what? What did they want, Kazumi?"** He demanded.

He used her real name... That wasn't a good sign. "They came to issue a challenge. Disc. Them against us, at midnight, in the old Behemoth arena."

His eyes went wide before narrowing once again, anger and suspicion clear as day in his features. **"What did you tell them?"** It wasn't really a question.

Kazumi suddenly felt very small. "We... _might_ have said... yes?"

That anger turned to fury. **"No."**

"We've already accepted, we can't back-out now."

**"Absolutely not. I forbid it, do you hear me?"**

She was starting to become mad herself. She knew this would happen, but she told him, anyway. Why? She had no clue anymore. "Yeah, I hear you. But it's too late now. We all agreed and I'm sorry, but we're going whether you like it or not."

**"I said no. It's too dangerous and you're not ready."**

"What are you going to do, stop me? In case you don't remember, you're an A.I. The real Spitfire's dead. So, unless you make this laptop sprout legs, you're not really much of a threat!" She knew she shouldn't be so angry, but she couldn't help it. Standing up, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Spitfire shouted after her, **"Kazu, come back here! KAZUMI!" **Too late, she was gone.

Spitfire hit his fist on the desk in front of him before putting his head in his hands as he leaned back into his chair. "Dammit...!"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

Kazumi caught the disc and sped as fast as she could towards their wall. She thought she had reached it when she was slammed into the ground by a massive force. Gasping for air, she tried to get her vision to focus, only to see Nike Takeuchi standing over with the disc. "Better luck next time, little Flame Queen." He smirked as she gritted teeth, slightly coughing on her own blood.

He turned to go score a score a point of his own (something which was easy for him) while laughing. But before he could get far, she reached up and snatched it back. He whirled around to take it back but she had already flown up and out of the hole made in the ceiling from their last 'visit'.

She knew it was stupid to go away from her teammates, but it was either this or be killed on the spot. She tried to make her way back in but he wouldn't let her. She ran for her life, knowing her friends couldn't help her because they were being trapped by Sora. Kazumi needed to find a way back or else soon she would lose sight of the arena altogether. Right when she was about to do a quick turn back, Nike appeared in front of her out of then air and slammed her from the sky into the ground. Her mind went numb as all she could feel was pain and her vision was blacking out. She could vaguely make out him smirking yet again above her, building energy for one powerful attack to end it. End _her_.

Right as he released it she almost stood up to run once again, but familiar arms scooped her up and got her out of the way, the blast shattering the buildings and ground. Even though her vision was coming back the person had her face pressed tightly into their toned chest. She knew him. She didn't know how, but she knew she did.

Nike took one look at the girl's rescuer before his eyes widened in disbelief. "You...!"

A fury of flames was sent at the already stunned man before he could do anything. And by the time he stopped the attack, they were gone and there was no hope in finding them.

Nike clenched his teeth before turning around and heading back to his brother. This pathetic game was over.

The man set Kazumi down on the ground and with her newly found sight she caught glimpse of orangey-red hair, a jacket with a fur-lined hood, and fiery red eyes. "What the hell, Spitfire?! I could have gotten away and made it back! We could have gotten a point!"

"Really? The way I saw it you were just about to bite the dust."

"I DON'T NEED A LECTURE FROM A DEAD GUY! - Wait... Spit...fire..?" It hit her. Spitfire was right there. Right in front of her. Grinning from ear to ear. And very much alive... Something inside of her snapped and she grabbed him by his jacket. "WHAT THE HELL?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

He laughed nervously. "Ah, yes... about that... I'm not actually dead."

"AND THAT'S SUPPOSED TO CHANGE ANYTHING?! YOU...! You...! You lied to me..." She stared at the found, her grip on the jacket loosening slightly as tears began to fall from her eyes.

Spitfire looked at the top of her head as even more guilt began to consume him. He knew how she react if he were to reveal himself like this... but he couldn't risk her dying. When she said about a AT battle with the Takeuchi brothers fear gripped his entire being. Even if she were to hate him forever, the thought of her being hurt was far worse. "Kazumi..." his voice was cautious, "I'm-"

"All this time..." She whispered shakily, cutting him off. "All this time you've been alive... I was so sure you were dead..." He wrapped his arms around her shaking frame, holding her as if she might break any moment. "I hate you..!"

"Yeah..." he mumbled into her hair, "I know..."

She began blurring out again, her injuries finally taking their toll. "I hate you! I hate you..! I hate..." And then everything went black.

Spitfire picked her limp body up bridal style, saying a soft 'I'm sorry' to her.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

Soft rays of morning sunlight hit Kazumi's eyes, waking her up. She had a slight head ache and her body was sore, but that was to be expected after what she'd been through. Sitting up, she noticed she was in an unknown environment.

She was lying on a large bed with fresh sheets that resided in a large, spacious room. There were glass door to a balcony with the curtains pulled shut, the light that awoke her seeping through the cracks.

After a little bit of effort, she managed to stand up and walk over to them, pulling them open and flinching due to the brightness. When she opened the door to step outside onto the balcony, she heard the sound of rushing waves. Going to the railing, she took in the beautiful view of the glistening sea. _A beach house, huh?_

"I see you're awake now." Said a thick cockney accent from somewhere behind her. Kazumi looked over her shoulder to see Spitfire placing a tray of food on the nightstand in the room. _That's right... Spitfire is... alive..._ She glared and proceeded to walk past him, not even saying thank you as she sat on the bed and took a piece of toast.

The taller man sighed. "Are you just going to ignore me now?"

Kazumi glanced around the room as if she looking for someone. "That's funny, I could have sworn I just heard a dead man talking. Huh."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really, Kazu?"

"Maybe I should find an exorcist..." She muttered as she chewed on a piece of bacon and then began working on a heavenly omelet.

Spitfire sat next to her on the bed. "It's fine if you don't respond, I just want you to understand why I did what I did." For a moment, she stopped eating before resuming at less than half her previous speed. He continued, his heart heavy, "The last thing I wanted to do was get into a fight with Sora and Nike. However, when I realized it was unavoidable, I came with this plan along with Ine. It was the only thing we could think of that could keep you and the others safe and remove me from their watch-list. I never intended on returning like this, though. I wanted to do so quietly."

She slowly reached over and took a swig of water, wetting her suddenly dry mouth. "I'm not mad, Spit," she said calmly, "just confused."

The former Flame King raised his hand as if to place it on her head, but thought better of it and retracted. "Sorry," he said with a casual tone, "I didn't mean for it to go so far. Nor did I mean for you to grow so attached to me over the computer."

Her face flared. "N-...no way..! You mean...?"

He gave a deep chuckle. "Oh, yes. Every conversation, ever day, ever time you failed at cooking, I was there for it all in front row seats."

Kazumi's heart leaped out of her chest and she ran out to the balcony, slamming the glass doors behind her and held them shut tight when Spitfire tried to follow. "Kazu, open the door and stop acting like a child!"

"No! For the past six months I've told you every little thing about me! My feelings and whole life were explained, in detail, to you while I thought you weren't real! You asshole!"

Spitfire laughed. "That's right! I sat in a chair for hours on end every day listening to you complain and gripe about training, Ikki and school. I also had to correct you several times on how to take care of your hair, after all, it's fragile and the way you treat it will make it break off until you have nothing left. I couldn't bear to see that happen. Oh, and you still can't do geometry right even though I always help you. It's funny, but for the past six months I've been cooped up in here, I've dropped everything I was doing every time you clicked on the file to talk. When you couldn't get ahold of me right away yesterday, it was because I was in the shower. After I heard your panicked voice coming from the computer, I flung myself out into the cold air, threw on my clothes and ran to it because I was afraid you were in trouble. Also, you should really learn to make it to your bed before you fall asleep. It's been three times now that I've had to come over and put things in proper order."

She somehow managed to blush even deeper and her pressure on the door lightened slightly. Spitfire turned the handle. "Kazumi... let me in."

Slowly, she backed away from the door and Spitfire walked out onto the balcony with her. Looking down at her, he couldn't help but chuckle once again at her flaming red face. "This side of you cute."

She punched him in the stomach.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

One month has passed since Spitfire "came back from the dead" and he and Kazumi were doing some special training throughout the city. As they were riding, a thought suddenly hit her. "Spitfire." She said as she stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it, Kazu?" he asked, while also stopping, looking at her curiously.

"I just realized something," Her voice was serious, almost monotone. "Something I should have realized a long time ago, and it's making me nervous."

He rode up to her, now feeling rather worried.

She bit her lip. A part of her felt lonely. Why? Spitfire had died, and for six months she spent talking to him as what she thought was a recording only to find out it was really him, so naturally she was lonely then. But when he came back, she thought she would never feel this loneliness again. But... even so... she was. And now she knew.

She was in love with him.

She wanted to feel his touch, wanted him to hold her, but something was stopping her from letting those things happen. And only just now she realized. She was scared. Scared of him disappearing again. Scared of letting her heart be shattered. Scared of the thought that once she became accustomed to his warmth, he'd go away. She denied herself even attempting to hold his hand because of it.

After a moment of silence, she went on, her voice slightly shaking from nervousness. "You know it's strange, how things can sneak up on you out of seemingly nowhere."

He was now only inches away, looking down at her head which was facing the ground. "Kazu. What's wrong? Tell me." He said, tilting his head and lightly touching her chin, moving it to where he could see her face.

She looked up into those blazing red eyes. She felt as though she could stare into them forever. A slight shiver went down her spine as his fingers moved from her chin down to her neck and then cupped her cheek. Why does he make her feel this way? "I..." She choked.

Spitfire knitted his eyebrows, concern evident in his eyes and in his voice as he spoke. "What is it?"

Trying to work up the courage, she started to open her lips to speak. She knew her face and eyes said everything was needed, but she wanted to tell him. "I... This will most likely only be a bother to you, but... I... I..."

"Kazumi," the thick cockney accent seemed to drip from his mouth as he cut her off.

All of a sudden she felt him move closer to her face, his breath caressing her mouth. Wait, was he? When did this happen?! Then his lips claimed hers.

A message was clear in his kiss: he felt the same. And no matter how long it took, no matter how scared she was, he would always be right here. Always waiting for her with open arms. Because no matter how difficult she could get, he would always love her. Slightly blushing at both the kiss and what he was telling her, she decided that from now on, she would no longer hold back. There was no reason for fear.

Spitfire pulled back, smiling at the still surprised look on her face. "Sorry love, you were saying?"

Deciding that words would only get in the way at this point, she grabbed his head and rather forcefully pulled him down into another kiss. Not the one taken by surprise this time, she was able to enjoy it more. She took in every detail, how soft his lips were, the way his hands had moved to her back pulling her closer to him. As she ran her fingers through his hair, she was surprised to find it was soft and silky. She had always expected it to by stiff with hair gel or something.

As their lips parted, (far to soon if you ask her) he grabbed her waist and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I wish I had known about your feelings sooner," he whispered into her ear, making her shudder. "I've waited so long to do that."

* * *

><p>I am so tired...<p> 


	3. The Flame Of My Heart (Part 3 of 3)

Kazumi lay on the white couch in Spitfire's living room, trying her best to stay awake despite the coaxing of the gentle and soothing melody of the piano that filled the room as Spitfire played. The orangey-red haired man had her running around all day for intense training even though it was Sunday, a day people usually rest. Though, despite his toughness, Spitfire made up for it by making her dinner and promising to play the piano for her, which he was doing now. Kazu jolted back to consciousness and sat up, berating herself for almost giving in. If Spitfire noticed how tired she was, he'd force her to go home and she didn't want that. Kazu wanted to stay with him as long as possible, sleep be damned.

However, her exhaustion fought her every step of the way, causing her head to bob. It wasn't until after the last few notes of the beautiful song drifted away that Kazu snapped back to the world around her due to a chuckle coming from across the room. She turned and saw Spitfire resting his head in his hand with his elbow on the white grand piano, smiling gently at her. "If you were that tired, you should have gone home and slept," He said standing, amusement in his accented voice. "Or was my performance so boring that it cause you to fall asleep?"

Kazu flushed at being found out. "I-I wasn't sleeping! I was just resting my eyes!" She defended.

Spitfire chuckled again and walked up in front of her at her place on the couch, his hands on his hips and that playful smile never leaving his mouth. "Then I suppose it was my imagination that I saw your head bobbing like a fish in the mirrors reflection," He teased.

She flushed even deeper. "You were watching me?"

His smile widened and his eyes twinkled with warmth. "Always am. You are my favorite thing to gaze upon, after all." Kazu was sure she was a tomato with eyes right now. Reaching down, Spitfire took her much smaller hand in his own and pulled her up. "Come Love, time for bed. I'll take you home."

This was what she was afraid of. Spitfire made a move to guide her out of the room but she pulled back and stood her ground. "I don't wanna go home!" She said stubbornly. "It's only seven, it's too early!"

Spitfire sighed and let go of her hand, crossing his arms over his chest. "Kazu, you're clearly about to fall over and you have school tomorrow. You'll destroy your health if you don't sleep."

Kazu pouted. "I won't get sick from something like this. Besides... I want to stay with you as long as possible..." She muttered while staring at the ground.

Spitfire's eyes widened slightly as he stared at her red face. Slowly, a warm smile spread across his lips. It was rare to hear Kazu say something like that because she was easily embarrassed when it came to things like this, thus it was usually Spitfire who initiated the sweet words and gentle touches that they shared. Spitfire was the one to say 'I love you' and swoop in for a chaste kiss just because his lovers facial expression was cute or she was stumbling over her words and tripping over her feet in an awkward attempt to do it herself. Spitfire was the one to sneak up behind her and wrap his arms around her petite waste, earning a yelp of surprise. And Spitfire was always the one to refuse to release her when she said she needed to go.

And who could blame him?

Spitfire spent six months listening and watching her through a screen, only coming into contact with her when Kogarasumaru competed or she fell asleep before making it to her own bed, and even then he wasn't allowed to let his presence be known. He had to pretend to be dead, causing just as much pain for him (if not more) than it did for Kazu. And being an affectionate man anyway, took any and all chances to show her just how much he cared, be it helping her out with anything and everything no matter how difficult, wrapping her tightly in his arms and desperately kissing her with a gentle yet fiery passion, or simply saying it.

Still smiling, Spitfire sat down on the couch and grabbing her hand once again, pulled Kazu to sit in front of him. She yelped in surprise and turned her head to ask what he was doing, only to be stopped by warm lips covering her own. When Spitfire pulled away, he grinned at her shocked expression. "One hour. You can stay until eight, but then you have to go home."

"But-!" She began to protest.

"One hour." He said more sternly and she sighed in resignation.

"Fine..." She mumbled and leaned back into his warm, muscular chest as he wrapped his strong arms around her. Spitfire hummed in contentment, the sound rumbling in his chest. And feeling the vibrations and heat from his body on her back and the absolute safety from his arms and the breath that tickled her ear as he buried his face in her hair, Kazu drifted off into a deep sleep but not before hearing Spitfire whisper "Sweet dreams, my Kazu..."

She awoke the next morning to find herself on her own bed, a black jacket with a fur-lined hood acting as a blanket.

* * *

><p>Spitfire tapped his foot on the pavement as he waited impatiently for his pupil to show up. She was half an hour late, which to be honest, wasn't that surprising. Kazu was always late, resulting in Spitfire keeping her twice as long to discipline her. It never worked.<p>

Sighing, the former Flame King looked at his watch and debated if he should go search for her or not. He had almost picked up his jacket to do just that when he heard the sound of AT's speeding faster than what was thought possible towards him. Spitfire looked up just in time to see Kazu nearly collide with a tree as she raced towards him saying in a rapid fire, "I'm late, I'm late again He's going to kill me. I'm so sorry. I'm late. This wasn't supposed to happen. I'm so dead. Why can't I get here on time? WHY?!" before tripping and landing flat on her face right in front Spitfire's feet.

He put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow. "Really, Kazu?"

Kazu smiled sheepishly. "Heh..heh... I'm sorry..."

Spitfire sighed and helped her up, making sure she wasn't hurt. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" He said while kissing the top of her head.

* * *

><p>Kazumi frowned as she laced up her AT's. After the big reveal of Spitfire being alive, the former Flame King was forced to deal with Genesis and Trophaeum constantly, often being gone for days on end. This time though, he had been gone for over a week, and Kazu hadn't heard from him for two days. She couldn't focus in school or training due to concern for her lover. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of fear filled questions. What if something had happened? What if the Takeuchi brothers had caught him? What if...?<p>

Kazu stood and stretched. She needed to get her mind away from everything and just let the Flame Road take her wherever the hell it wanted, even for only a little while. So, getting into position, Kazu applied pressure and sped forward, jumping onto a railing and taking into the sky. She glided on power cords and jumped from building to building, leaving burn marks in her wake as she let the flames of her road engulf her, clearing her mind.

But something wasn't right. Something was very, very wrong.

The feeling was usually with her, but as Kazu rode, it was like the Flame Road, the road she and Spitfire shared was telling her something. But she didn't know what.

It wasn't until she had returned home and was about to go to bed that she found out.

Her sister was out on a date that night so Kazu had the house to herself, something that she liked very much, though it was sometimes lonely. Kazu had shut her laptop and stood to walk over to her twin bed when the window that it was under shattered as something came crashing through. She yelled and grabbed the closest thing to her that could be used as a weapon, a baseball bat, and was about to get ready to defend herself when she saw the familiar sight of a fur-lined hood and orangey-red hair. She blinked in confusion as the male sat upright and smiled innocently at her. "Hello, Kazu. Lovely night isn't it?"

She dropped the bat. "What the hell, Spitfire?! You gave me a heart attack! I don't hear from you for two days and then you randomly come crashing through my window?!"

Spitfire laughed as she got close to his face, temple pulsing. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry darling, I just had this urge to see you. I didn't mean to come in like that."

Kazu frowned. Spitfire was never that clumsy. Hell, she wasn't that clumsy. She opened her mouth to speak when she noticed a dark spot on Spitfire's shirt. It was already red, but this was a deep crimson. His jeans were torn up and so was his jacket. There was also a scratch on his cheek. Her heart stopped. This was what she felt earlier... Spitfire was in danger, getting hurt, and she ignored it. She ignored his pain.

She would never be able to forgive herself.

Spitfire noticed where she was looking and took her shocked and worried face in his hands, making her look him in the eye. "It's alright, Love, it's not my blood."

She gritted her teeth. "Like hell it isn't."

Spitfire made a yelp of surprise and a string of protests when Kazu grabbed his jacket and began tearing it and his shirt off him. He tried to grab her hands to stop her but she suddenly became very strong and didn't stop until she saw the gaping gash in his side and his shirt slipped through her fingers onto the floor. Spitfire ran a hand through his hair and smiled sadly. "Didn't want you to see that... Oh, well..."

"You idiot..." Was all Kazumi was able to say before grabbing the bleeding man's wrist and dragging him to the bathroom where she sat him down on the side of the tub. He didn't argue this time and was strangely meek and resembled something like a kicked puppy. Kazu quickly found a washcloth and medical kit and set about cleaning and tending to his wounds. "Who did this to you?" Her voice was monotone as she sat and worked at the man's feet.

Spitfire studied her for a good while before explaining. "Some rouge Storm Rider team that worked for Sora and Nike challenged us. Cheating, they took down my team. I managed to secure the win for us, but I still got this," He said, gesturing to the gash. "Near my whole team had to go to the hospital because of those assholes."

"And what about you?" Kazu snapped, looking up at him. "Why the hell are you here instead of going to one?"

Spitfire closed his eyes and smiling, placed his forehead against hers. "I don't know," He admitted. "All I could think about while fighting for my life out there was how much I wanted to see you. And next thing I know I'm crashing though your window. I'll pay for that, by the way." He added with a chuckle.

"You're ridiculous..." Kazu mumbled on the verge of tears as she took his head in her arms. "Absolutely ridiculous."

* * *

><p>Kazu hit the keys, somehow managing to find a way to make a piano sound like a dying cat and proceeded to flinch, groan and throw her hands up in the air in resignation. "I give up!" She said shortly. "This is impossible.'<p>

Spitfire laughed as he leaned over her and, taking her hands in his, placed them back on the keyboard. "You're doing fine. Everyone sounds like that in the beginning."

Kazu raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. "No, I don't think they do." She said coldly.

Spitfire opened his mouth to tell her different when upon realizing she wouldn't buy it he shut it again and smiled apologetically. "No, they don't. But being this bad is quite impressive, especially sense it's really hard to make a piano sound like anything other than a piano." He chuckled as she dropped her head and groaned. "Let's try this again, shall we? Now, C scale, put your thumb on Middle C- Middle C, Kazu, middle."

"Where's middle C?!" Kazu asked frustratedly.

"It's to one in the middle-no, that's D, move one over- there you go. Now just play each note up until the next C- you don't play the black keys... Okay, you're making even me confused..."

Kazu slammed her head down on the keys. "Can I stop now? Please?"

"You asked me how to play, are you really going to give up on the first day?"

"Yes." Kazu deadpanned.

* * *

><p>Kazu raced faster than ever today during training, leaving flames to kindle behind her. This, more than anything, put Spitfire on edge.<p>

"Kazu, slow down!" He called as she did another lap. "You may be the Flame Queen, but there's a difference between being fast and being reckless!"

Kazu merely laughed and attempted to go fast, blurring her figure to the naked eye. "Oh, relax, Spit!" She called back.

There was a balcony coming up and she had already prepared herself to jump to it and take to the air. "Kazu! Stop! The railing won't hold with that much power! KAZUMI!" Spitfire's desperate and fearful cry fell on deaf ears as she jumped and hit the railing. It snapped, sending Kazu hurtling towards the ground with amazing speed head-first. The ground was rushing up and Kazu shut her eyes tight. She couldn't upright herself.

Kazu waited for the ground to hit her but instead she felt strong arms holding her and the heaving of someones chest with a heart beating madly inside of it. She looked up to see Spitfire's enraged face. He set her down on the ground. "That was close. Thanks, Spit-"

"ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID?!" Spitfire screamed. "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! HOW COULD YOU COMPLETELY IGNORE MY WARNINGS AND DO THAT?!"

Kazu winced and shut her eyes as the former Flame King lost it. He was mad. Kazu was used to making him irritated, but this time he was furious. He was yelling at her. Kazu wouldn't even be surprised if if hit her right then. And for the first time, Kazu was scared of him. She wanted to say something, but he kept yelling.

Finally, she had enough. Kazu snapped her head up and was about to argue her case when she saw his face. Her eyes widened. There was anger there, yes, but that wasn't all. There was concern, anxiety, _fear_. Spitfire was crying.

He was crying because he almost lost her.

Kazu's words caught in her throat and she found herself saying sorry over and over again. Harsh whispers that wracked her shoulders. She didn't really know when Spitfire hugged her, or when he apologized himself.

A year ago she thought Spitfire had died. She thought she had lost him. That was something she never wanted to experience again, but she had nearly just done that very same thing to him.

When asked - begged - Kazu swore never to scare him like that ever again.

* * *

><p>Kazu walked sluggishly down the hallway of her school. She couldn't wait for it to be over and she still had one more class. When she made it back to her classroom and flopped down at her desk, she wished Ikki wasn't sick and Onigiri wasn't out of town with his family and Bucca wasn't in a different class. Even Ringo was off somewhere.<p>

Yawning, she thought about sleeping when she heard Sakura, one of the most annoying people on the planet, talking far too loudly with her almost equally annoying friends.

"Yes! I have an appointment today with him after school. He's so hot! When I went there last time he spent more time on me than anyone else. And his accent..." Kazu was trying to drown her out when she heard the next part. "Spitfire was so gentle with his hands and polite. I think he's interested in me."

This got her attention.

Standing up, she crossed over to Sakura's desk and crossed her arms in an attempt to be casual. "Spitfire? As in the hair stylist?"

Sakura looked up at her as if she were a bug not worth her time and then smiled condescendingly. "Yeah, that's him. Dreamy, isn't he? But it's too bad for you because he's totally into me."

Kazu resisted the urge to laugh and then punch her in the face. "Oh? How do you know?" She said a little too tensely.

Smirking, Sakura fiddled with a piece of her hair. "Oh, the usual ways... Casual flirting, complements, unnecessary and lingering touches and spending extra time on my hair for no real reason. It's hard to miss."

Kazu smiled and walked back to her desk. Sitting up straight she picked up her pencil and snapped it in half.

After school Kazu was forced to help the teacher with carrying things so she made it to Spitfire's salon later than she would have liked, but Sakura should still be there as far as she knew.

And sure enough, when Kazu walked through the sliding glass doors she saw amongst the many women in the salon Sakura practically throwing herself at a smiling and looking handsome as ever Spitfire. The tall man looked over when he heard the door and his face when from surprise to confusion before smiling warmly. Kazu returned the smile, albeit in a pissed off sort of way. Spitfire instantly felt like he was on thin ice.

Sakura followed gaze and frowned, glaring. "What you doing here, Mikura?" She spat.

Kazu returned the glare. "Visiting." She said tersely.

Spitfire looked back between the two glowering girls before suddenly understanding. Smiling to himself, he walked over to Kazu and said, "Now, what do I owe this pleasure?"

Kazu switched her irritated stare from the other girl and directed it at him. He chuckled and quietly noted that she was cute when she was jealous. Taking her hand, her led her into the backroom and sat her down in the chair, holding up a hand when she made to protest. "So..." he began, "I take it you didn't just come here to 'visit,' now did you?"

Kazu lightly blushed and looked at her hands in her lap, embarrassed. "Well..." She fumbled.

After combing and spraying her hair with water, Spitfire set about giving the ends a light trim. "The girl I was talking to?"

"Uh..."

"Thought as much." He chuckled.

"She's just so annoying! And then she started saying how you paid extra attention to her and crap like that and it was all I could do not to strangle her!"

Setting down the scissors, Spitfire grabbed a blow dryer and said with an amused tone, "So you're jealous,"

"NO!" Kazu said a little too quickly, causing him to laugh.

Once he was done with her hair, he placed to dryer to the side and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, looking her in the eyes with the reflection in the mirror. "Perhaps I can help you with that."

"Huh?" Was all Kazu managed to say before being pulled out of the chair and escorted back into the waiting room and passed a peeved Sakura. Once close to the door, Spitfire leaned down and kissed her on the lips. When he pulled away her flustered face and stuttering was cute enough to cause him to kiss her nose. "I'll see you tonight then, shall I, Love?"

Kazu wasn't sure who was more shocked, her or Sakura, but she could only nod numbly as Spitfire gently nudged her towards the door.

* * *

><p>Spitfire walked back into Kazu's bedroom after getting a glass of water only to find her sleeping at her desk with her head on the textbooks. He sighed. She still ha another page of math to do and she fell asleep. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was already eleven and decided it would be okay to stop for the night. Setting his cup down, he crossed the room and picked her up and carried her to the bed, gently laying her down.<p>

Once she was tucked in, he bent down and kissed her forehead whispering, "I love you."

* * *

><p>THE FLUFF... IT'S TOO MUCH! Anyway, that concludes this story! I hope you liked it and will check out my other ones. Tata for now!<p> 


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